Never Get Too Lonely, a One Shot Series
by HPfanonezillion
Summary: A series of one shots that take place in the same world as One Step Farther.
1. Whatever Rory Wants

_Author's note: This is the series of one shots I promised after One Step Farther. The overall title comes from the Paramore song Be Alone and the title of this particular chapter is a play on the song from the musical Damn Yankees called Whatever Lola Wants. __Please feel free to let me know what you think.  
_

_Happy reading!_

Never Get Too Lonely

A Sydrian One Shot Series

By Danielle Cheri

* * *

Whatever Rory Wants

"So how long will you be there?" Sydney asked as Adrian finished gathering his painting supplies.

He looked at her suspiciously. "Until about six. Why?"

"Well, I'm going to get Rory and then we're going to go have some girl time. I want to be home in time to make you guys supper."

"Well, the session is until six. This family is driving me nuts with all the details, so I don't want to spend more time than necessary there." He leaned in and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you.

"Have fun with Rory."

She grinned. "I will."

She watched as he drove away and then she got her purse and keys and headed out herself. The drive to Court was a peaceful one. It was only an hour in the worst traffic, so getting Lorelei back and forth for her visits wasn't too time-consuming. Sydney was lucky to have found a company in need of her architectural abilities so soon after college and so close. She was an intern with a chance at a full-position at the end, which was close. She suspected Abe Mazur had something to do with it, but she never questioned it.

Dimitri leaned into her car at the gate and smiled. "Coming to kidnap my daughter?" He teased.

She chuckled. "Just for the weekend. How are things?"

He shrugged. "Same as always. You?"

"About to get a lot better for many reasons. One of them being spending the weekend with Lorelei."

He nodded. "She says you are shopping today."

"Yeah, I promised her a day of being spoiled by me."

"She's spoiled enough by all of us." He commented as he stepped back and nodded to the guardian at the controls. "I'll let them know you are on your way."

When she knocked on the door, she heard Rose call, "Rory, someone's here for you."

"I know. I heard Papochka." Came the exasperated cry from her 5-year-old stepdaughter.

The door swung open and Lorelei's vivid green eyes, just like her father's, looked up at her. "Hi, Sydney!" She exclaimed, throwing herself at the woman's midsection.

"Hey, Rory." She hefted her up. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too. Are we still shopping?"

"Yes. Both for you and for Daddy. We're going to surprise him."

"I like surprises. Why are we surprising him?"

"Because today is the day I'm going to ask him to marry me. And I want your help getting the dinner put together. We're making some of his favorite things."

The little girl smiled. "Will you have a big wedding? Mommy and Papochaka said they weren't going to."

Sydney laughed. "It depends on what your daddy wants. He'll probably want a big wedding." She kissed the girl's cheek. "Go get your things, baby."

As soon as she was out of Sydney's arms, she ran to her room.

Rose shook her head. "I hope she doesn't annoy you too much with the wedding questions this weekend. It's become her favorite subject ever since Eddie and Jill's wedding last month."

She laughed, "I'm sure it will be fine. Adrian will push to start right away, I think. And I want to. No point in waiting too long."

Rose shrugged. "You've waited this long."

Sydney nodded. "But I made a lot of excuses up to this point."

"Well, you had good reasons." She smiled. "So I woke her up when Dimitri left at about noon. Maybe she'll sleep well for you tonight."

"You know you don't have to do that. We could shift our schedules for a few days."

"I know, but it was kind of selfish. I wanted to spend some time with her, just us."

"Understandable."

Lorelei reappeared with her small suitcase in one hand and the trunk of a stuffed elephant in the other. "Ready!" She announced.

"Come and give me a hug." Rose demanded, her arms held out in front of her.

The little girl ran to her mother. "Ya tebya lyublyu, Mommy."

"Ya tebya lyublyu, dushen'ka." She gave her a loud kiss on the cheek. "Be good."

"I'll try."

She put her down. "Don't forget to say goodbye to Papochka at the gate."

"I won't." She looked up at Sydney. "Can we go now?"

Her stepmother smiled. "Sure thing."

As they slowly headed out of Court, Lorelei asked, "Sydney, can I call you Mommy?"

Sydney nearly plowed into a dhampir on the sidewalk. He glared at her as he quickly walked away. Sydney regained her composure and control of her car before she asked, "Do you want to?"

"Well, I have Daddy and Paochka and Mommy, but you're just Sydney."

"True."

"And Mommy said I could call you Mommy, too, if I wanted. She said if it was okay with you."

"Well, baby, I think that will be fine. But you know you don't have to."

"I know. I won't do it all the time because we're not used to it yet. But I'll start."

Sydney smiled at her in the rear-view mirror. "I like the sound of that, Rory."

"Papochka!" She exclaimed as they stopped at the gate.

Sydney rolled down the window. "Phase one complete."

Dimitri chuckled. "Good. Now Rose and I will have some peace. Too bad it is only a temporary kidnapping."

"Yeah, too bad." Sydney unlocked the back door and he opened it.

He kneeled beside Lorelei and spoke softly to her in English mixed with a little Russian. Sydney didn't catch all of the conversation, but she heard them exchange "I love you" like she and her mother had.

"Farewell, dushen'ka." He said at last. He closed the door. "I need to look in the trunk before I can let you pass. Standard procedure, you know."

"No problem." She said as she pushed the button.

A couple minutes later, they were on their way. Lorelei chattered almost the whole way, talking about her friends and school. She dozed off for a few minutes just before they arrived at the store. She was still bleary-eyed when Sydney sat her in the seat at the front of the cart.

"Mama Sydney?"

She smiled. "Yes?"

"What are we going to get?"

"Well, after we shop here and get some things for you, we'll go grocery shopping. We're going to make a special dinner. One of Daddy's favorite things to eat is that baked potato soup I make. So we'll make that. And when we were younger, there was this pie shop we visited in California called Pies and Stuff and it was very special to Daddy and me. So I want to bake a pie. We have to decide what kind of pie."

"Cherry! I love cherries and Daddy likes them too." Lorelei said happily.

"Then we'll make a cherry pie. And there's a store we need to go to after that that sells gelato. That's another thing that's been important to us."

"Why?"

"It's a long story, baby. I'll tell you one day when you're older." She kissed her forehead.

They passed an aisle with colorful sweets. Lorelei's eyes lit up. "Sydney, can I have some candy?"

"I think that can be arranged." They walked to the girls' clothing section. "How about a new dress?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes, please."

Lorelei picked about twenty dresses to try on. She liked all of them, but Sydney told her she had to pick just her two favorites. This resulted in her trying about half of them on again. She finally settled on her two favorites and they were put in the cart. She then picked out a book that had a really pretty yellow cover. She didn't care what it was about; she liked the cover and thought she needed it. Sydney couldn't deny her a book, so she bought it.

After picking out a sucker, and promising to finish it all and not make a sticky mess, they checked out.

"I want to wear one of my dresses when you ask Daddy to marry you." Lorelei said as Sydney worked to open her sucker.

"I think Daddy will love it. Which one?"

"The yellow one!" She exclaimed.

Her stepmother smirked. "You really love yellow these days, don't you?"

"Sydney, it's the bestest color ever." She said solemnly.

Sydney chuckled and handed over the candy. "It's a pretty great color. Like the sun." She got back in the driver's seat.

"Daddy can't go in the sun." She announced as they pulled into the road.

"Well, he can, but not for very long. It makes him sick." She explained.

"It makes Aunt Jill sick too. And Aunt Lissa and Uncle Christian."

"That's right. Because they are Moroi."

"Yes. And Mommy and Papockha and me is dhampirs. And Uncle Eddie."

"And what am I?"

"A human!" She yelled. "All my friends think it's weird that I have a human stepmommy."

Sydney smiled. "Well, it is. A little. Most Moroi don't associate with humans unless it's entirely necessary."

"Why?" She asked innocently.

"Because, baby girl, most of them think they are better than us."

"Like Grandpa Nathan?"

"Exactly." She hesitated, but asked, "Do you ever see Grandpa Nathan?"

She took a while to answer. When she finally did, her voice was forlorn. "I see him around sometimes. I don't ever talk to him. He won't even wave at me. He usually frowns and looks mean when he notices me."

"Well, you don't need to worry about your Grandpa Nathan. You have Grandpa Abe to make up for him."

Lorelei brightened. "He's coming to see us next week. Mommy said I can stay with him if he wants me to."

"Well, I'm glad. He's a great man." She added to herself, "Even if he's a little slimy."

After buying everything they needed for the meal that night, and picking up some more sweets for Lorelei, they headed home. Rory fell asleep again. She stumbled into the house while Sydney unloaded the groceries.

She woke up when Sydney started cooking. She helped. Mostly by staying out of the way, but she got to pour some of the ingredients in. She greatly enjoyed helping with the pie, especially the part where she got flour everywhere. Sydney looked up at the clock when they put the pie in and told her to go change into her new dress if she wanted. She ran out of the kitchen and returned just as her father pulled into the driveway.

Adrian stepped into the door and called, "Hey, who took over my house with all these yummy smells?"

"Daddy!" Lorelei ran to him. "Me and Mommy made dinner!"

"Mommy?" He looked around.

"She means me." Sydney said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him softly.

"Mommy and Sydney said I could her that." The little girl explained.

Adrian kissed his girlfriend. "Well, isn't that nice? Hey, I like your dress."

"Sydney let me buy. I got a red one with pink hearts on it, too. And a book with a yellow cover."

"Did you tell Sydney thank you?"

She nodded.

"Good." He kissed both of them and then peered into the kitchen. "So what's the occasion?"

Sydney shared a conspiratorial smile with the little girl. "No reason. Just because."

Lorelei giggled.

"Sh. You'll give it away." Sydney whispered.

"Give what away?" Adrian asked. "What's going on, you two?"

Sydney sighed, "I guess the cat's out of the bag." She grinned. "We made your favorites."

Adrian gave her an odd look. "Okay..."

"Sydney wants to ask you a question." Lorelei said.

Sydney tapped the girl's nose. "Why don't you two take a seat?" She pulled her boyfriend to the table and pushed them gently into a chair. She sat beside them and took Adrian's hand. "Adrian, when we started dating, I knew that you would change everything in my life. And you have. You," she grinned and smoothed a hand over their daughter's hair, "and Rory are the greatest things that have ever happened to me. And it would be fantastic if we made this more official." She wiped at a stray tear. "What I'm trying to get at is—"

Lorelei interrupted, "She wants to marry you, Daddy. Please say yes. And please say you'll have a big wedding."

The adults laughed. Adrian kissed his daughters head. He looked at Sydney with tears shimmering in his own eyes. "There's nothing I've wanted more in all these years with you, Sydney. Yeah, I'll marry you."

She leaned forward and kissed him hard. "You can give me that engagement ring now." She said with a sly smile.

He laughed. "Who blabbed?"

Sydney smirked. "Jill. Right after you bought it _three years ago_."

He averted his eyes. "You would have said no."

She put her finger under his chin and turned his face back to her. "Maybe. Maybe not. But we're engaged now. So I'll wear it with great pride. And I won't make you wait very long for the wedding. Maybe this time next year?"

He looked at the girl on his lap and back to the woman he loved. "I think that would be perfect. A big wedding, but not too big. Only about a hundred guests."

"I think I can agree to that." She stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"Can I be in it?" Lorelei asked.

"Oh, I think we can arrange something special for you." Sydney pulled her across the space to her lap. "Because you are a very special little girl, Lorelei. And we want everyone to know just how special you are."

* * *

_Translations:_

_Ya tebya lyublyu = I love you_

_dushen'ka = my little soul (according to a Russian-speaker on a forum for terms of endearment)_

_If any of my Russian is ever wrong, please correct me. I will be using it quite a bit and get the translations online as I am not a native speaker._


	2. The Bells Are Gonna Chime

_Author's note: This is a nice bit of fluff. The title comes from a song in the musical My Fair Lady called I'm Getting Married in the Morning._

_ Happy reading!_

The Bells Are Gonna Chime

Sydney nervously paced the small room as she waited for the ceremony to start.

"Don't freak out." Rose soothed. "He definitely wants to marry you."

She wrung her hands. "You don't know that. He may change his mind. I mean, why is he buying the cow? He's been getting the milk free for years."

Rose and Carly snorted. Lissa, trying her best to be composed, smiled behind her hand.

Rose said, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Of course he wants to be married to you. He's been bemoaning it for years. And I can't believe you used that old line. I thought only people my dad's age said that. By the way, how long have they been gone?" She looked at her phone. "He indulges Rory too much."

"We all do." Sydney pointed out kindly.

"She won't be too happy when she's no longer an only child."

"Got something to tell us, Rose?" Lissa teased.

"Oh, no. Not us, Sydney and Adrian. Dimitri and I would have to jump through a lot of hoops to have a baby. All they have to do is—"

Lorelei burst through the door closely followed by Abe. "Mommy, Mama Sydney, you should see Daddy and Papochka. They are so handsome! Grandpa Abe gave them a talk. Man-to-man. I played with Aunt Jill. They both looked like someone took their candy away when he was done with them."

"Dad! What did you tell them?" Rose demanded.

"Just to take care of my girls." He grinned and kissed Sydney's hand. "All three of them."

Sydney smiled kindly. "Mr. Mazur—"

"Sydney, please. We've known each other long enough. Call me Abe. I've come to think of you as someone very special to me. You've helped my daughter and granddaughter. Lorelei thinks the world of you. And I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same."

Sydney smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Abe. For everything above-board and otherwise."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Now, I'm sure I'll be sobbing as much as you by the time this is over, so let's be done with the sentimentality for the moment. Thank you for letting me escort you. My own daughter decided elopement was better than planning a real wedding. Go figure." He held out his arm. "And I believe it's time."  
She slipped her arm through his and kissed his cheek. She looked around the room and sighed. "I really wish my mom could be here."

Carly stood and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Me too."

Sydney let go of Abe's arm and held her sister.

"Mama?" Lorelei said, tapping Sydney's arm.

"Yes, baby?" She stepped away and pulled a tissue out of her pocket to dab at her eyes.

"Is this one of those times where you cry when you're happy or are you crying because you're sad?"

She kneeled down. "It's a little of both, Rory." She tucked a lock of the girl's hair behind her ear. "But you know what? We can't change the things I'm sad about. But we can be glad about all the good things. And one of them is that I'm marrying your daddy today." She leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"So let's go do it, Sydney. You need to get married to Daddy. And then you need to have a baby."

Sydney laughed as she stood. "That's going to be a while, sweetheart." She slipped her arm into Abe's once more. "Okay, let's get going."

Sydney was crying again as soon as the door opened and she saw Adrian standing at the altar. Abe patted her hand and leaned in to kiss her cheek as they stopped at the front of the sanctuary.

Adrian lifted a hand and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Sydney didn't even comprehend what she said. And then he was kissing her and the crowd was cheering and she was laughing into his mouth.


	3. All That's Left of Yesterday

_Author's note: Someone requested this on Tumblr several weeks ago. I posted a portion of it on my blog, but decided it would be too much to post all of it. It fits well in here now. Please feel free to review and let me know what you think._

_Happy reading!_

All That's Left of Yesterday

A Sydrian One Shot

By Danielle Cheri

Adrian put the brush to the canvas and started painting big, bold lines in saturate blue. He switched to the rest of the primary colors, creating a work that spoke of his emotions, his hopes, his fears of being a new husband and of his daughter's future.

Sydney stepped into the room. She knew he didn't like to be disturbed in the middle of painting. It didn't do much good to try most of the time anyway. But she had something important to tell him.

She walked over and stood beside him. He cut his eyes to her a moment and smiled. She kissed his cheek and sat something on the tray with his brushes. It took him a moment to notice the addition.

He picked it up. A pregnancy test. "Sydney?" He turned. "What does this mean?"

She smiled and leaned over him. "That's a plus sign. Plus means positive."

"But how…? We just started trying." He put his pallet down and held the stick in shaking hands.

She smirked. "Well, I guess your little guys were very determined."

He laughed. "Oh, my god. How accurate are these things?"

"Well, I got three. All three said the same. So I guess pretty accurate."

"Sydney." He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. "We're having a baby."

"Yes, we are. Rory's going to be so happy."

"Rory? Yeah, she'll be happy. I'm ecstatic." He kissed her hard on the mouth. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

He forgot about the painting for the moment. He led his wife to the living room and sat down with her on the couch. They kissed for a while. Adrian rested his hand on her stomach. "We need to celebrate."

"Rory will be here soon. We don't have much time for anything."

"Then I'm taking you to that Indian place we all love. We'll tell Rory before we go."

"She's been asking me for years when we were going to have a baby."

"Well, now we are. I'm so happy. Are you happy?"

She kissed him. "I am."

Lorelei burst through the door with her teddy bear in one hand and her bag in the other. "I'm here, Daddy!" She announced.

"I can see that." He walked around the couch and lifted her up and spun her around.

Rose followed at a more sedate pace. "Putting her in that booster seat was the worst decision we ever had to make. The car was barely in park."

"Daddy, Papochka says I'm going to be a great guardian when I grow up."

"I bet you will be. Just like Mama and Papochka."

She smiled and squirmed out of his arms. "Sydney."

Sydney kneeled down in front of her. "Hi, Rory. I missed you."

The little girl wrapped her arms around her stepmother's neck. "I missed you too."

"Rory." Rose said from the doorway. "Prishel obnyat' menya. YA uvizhu vas v voskresen'ye."

She let go of Sydney and ran back to her mother. "Ya tebya lyublyu, Mama."

"Same here, my girl." She kissed her cheek. "Don't cause too much trouble." She waved at the other two as she closed the door.

"Come here, Rory, we have something to tell you." Adrian lifted her up and sat her down on the couch between him and Sydney.

"What is it?"

"How would you like to be a big sister?" Sydney asked.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, so much! Am I going to be?"

Sydney kissed the top of her head. "You are. It's going to be a few months, though."

"That's so awesome, Sydney!" She threw herself at her stepmother and then kissed her father. "Can I help pick out a name?"

Adrian chuckled. "We'll take your suggestions." He kissed the top of her head and then stood. "Who's hungry?"

"I could eat a whole house, Daddy." Lorelei exclaimed.

"Well, let's settle for a plateful and see what happens." He hoisted her up on his back and grabbed his keys from beside the door. "Ivashkov family out!"

Adrian loved the way his daughter and Sydney always interacted. He could tell Sydney loved Lorelei as much as he did. And the girl clearly adored her stepmother. He sat back and sketched them on a napkin as they ate and joked.

"Sydney, do you love me?" Lorelei asked as they made their way back out to the car.

"Of course I love you, Rory. I love you very much." She swung the girl up into her arms. "You're getting so big. I won't be able to pick you up much longer."

"I'm almost seven."

"You are. What would you like for your birthday?" She opened the back door and sat her down in her seat.

"I want a stake like Mama and Papochka."

"You have to wait quite a few years for that. You need something more age-appropriate."

She thought about it a moment. "Then I want a new doll."

"Good choice."

At home, Lorelei ran toward the shelf holding the movies. "Daddy, can we watch a movie?"

"Sure, sweetie. What movie?"

They all curled up on the couch together. Sydney fell asleep on Adrian's shoulder with Lorelei stretched across both their laps.

* * *

Sydney loved the weekends they spent with Lorelei. But sometimes she enjoyed the quiet once she was gone. She looked at herself in the mirror. Adrian wanted more children. And honestly, she did too. But it still worried her that Court would want to take the child away for guardian training.

But then she thought of Lorelei. She brought great joy into her life from the first moment she'd laid eyes on her. She smiled as she hugged herself. "A baby."

"Sydney!" Lorelei called from the bottom of the stairs. "Are you ready?"

"I'm on my way, sweetie." She took one last look at her appearance and then hurried down the stairs.

"So it's my day? All day?" the girl asked as they got in the car.

"Yes." Adrian assured her. "Seven years old. I can't believe it."

"I know. Goodness." Sydney turned around in her seat. "So what are we doing first?"

"Bowling!" She announced.

"I love bowling."

So they bowled. Sydney was horrible at it, Adrian and Lorelei had better aim. Adrian won, but he was very closely followed by his daughter. And then they went to one of those loud arcades were they served pizza that tasted like cardboard. It was one of Lorelei's favorite places to go when she visited her father and stepmother.

"Come play this game with me, Daddy." Lorelei begged, dragging him toward a racing game.

"Okay, baby. Slow down." He chuckled as he left Sydney behind.

They were going through their second round of the game when his wife came over and whispered in his ear, "I think I need to go to the doctor."

He stepped away from the game. "What is it?"

"I was just in the bathroom." She explained. "There was blood. Quite a bit of it."

His face went white. "Okay." He picked up Lorelei. "Come on, sweetie."

"But I'm not done using my coins, Daddy! And I wanted that bear." She protested.

"I'll get you the bear later, baby." He strapped her into her seat.

"What's going on, Daddy?" She asked, tears streaming down her face. "Did I do something wrong?"

Sydney reached back and took her hand. "You didn't do anything wrong, Lorelei. But I need to go to the doctor."

"Are you sick, Sydney?" She asked, her eyes still streaming.

"Not sick, baby." She squeezed the girl's hand.

Adrian picked up his phone. "I'm going to call Rose."

"Not yet." Sydney took it from him. "Let me text." She tapped out a message and then waited, staring out the window. She reached for Adrian's hand and he gave it a reassuring kiss.

Lorelei cried with increasing volume in the back seat. "Are you dying, Sydney?" She sobbed.

"Adrian, pull over." She quickly got into the back seat to sit with her stepdaughter. "I'm not dying, Rory. And I'm not sick. But there might be something wrong with the baby and I need to get to the doctor."

"What could be wrong with the baby?" She sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

"I don't know yet, sweetheart." She held the girl's hand and wiped at her streaming eyes, choking back her own tears.

"Babe, I got a text." Adrian passed the phone back. "Read that, please."

"It's Rose. She'll be at the hospital in an hour. We can call her if there's any change."

Adrian pulled into the emergency lane and jumped out of the car. "You two stay here." He ran inside and returned a minute later with a set of nurses and a wheelchair. "I'll park the car." He said as he kissed Sydney's forehead.

"Daddy, is Mommy coming?"

"Yes, baby, she'll be here soon." He took her hand and led her inside.

Sydney sat in a wheelchair with a clipboard on her lap. She looked up. "I can't see the questions clearly."

Adrian took the paperwork from her and took the seat beside her. Lorelei ran across the room to the toys. He quietly asked the questions aloud and wrote her answers down.

A nurse came out of the back. "Sydney Ivashkov?"

Lorelei hurried over as her parents stood. The nurse met them. She smiled at the little girl. "Hi, I'm Carol. What's your name?"

"Lorelei." She answered confidently.

"That's a very pretty name. Once we get your mom settled, would you like to sit behind the nurse's station with me? I've got a really neat coloring book back there."

"Daddy, may I?" She asked.

Adrian nodded. To the nurse he said, "Thank you."

Blood was drawn and all Sydney's vitals were taken. The doctor came in and delivered the news she was dreading.

"I'm sorry to say, Mrs. Ivashkov, but you've had a miscarriage."

She clenched her teeth and nodded.

"Can we get pregnant again?" Adrian asked.

"I don't see why not." He took out her chart. "There was nothing abnormal in your tests and judging by your medical history, there's nothing to indicate a clear medical problem that caused the miscarriage. Sometimes these things just happen. I suggest waiting at least three full, normal cycles before you try again. And make sure you're both done grieving this pregnancy. I understand you were about eight weeks along."

Sydney nodded. "But we only found out a couple weeks ago."

The doctor nodded. "I'd like to keep you in for observation for a few more hours."

"All right."

The doctor left. There was silence. Adrian looked away, fighting the tears.

"How do we tell Rory?" Sydney asked softly.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I need to go get her." He stood and leaned over her. "I love you." He brushed a kiss across her lips.

She said nothing.

When he walked into the waiting room, he was tackled by a blur of brown hair. "Are you okay?" Jill asked.

"You know how I am, Jailbait." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for coming."

"I couldn't let Rose come alone." She gave him a kind look.

"How's Sydney?" Rose asked.

"Hanging in." He picked up Lorelei and kissed her cheek. "They want to keep her here for observation for a few hours."

"Is the baby okay?" Lorelei asked.

"Sweetie…there isn't a baby anymore." His voice was strained.

"There isn't?" Her eyes were huge. "Why?"

"Because this baby wasn't meant for us, Rory."

"That's not fair, Daddy." She wailed.

"No, it's not."

Rose said, "Can I see Sydney?"

"Come on, we'll see." He put Lorelei down and she grabbed onto his hand.

He stepped into the room and Lorelei let go of his hand and ran in. She scrambled up on the bed and wrapped her arms around Sydney.

"Hi, baby girl." She kissed the top of the girl's head.

"Mama, Daddy said there's no more baby."

"There isn't."

"Are you okay?"

Sydney kissed her again. "I'm fine."

Adrian stepped closer. "Rose and Jill want to see you."

She nodded. "Let them in."

Jill came in and immediately gave her a hug. She sat on the edge of the bed and took her hands. "You'll be okay."

"I hope so." She squeezed the younger woman's hands. "How is Eddie?"

"He didn't want me to come. But I had to see you and Adrian."

"I'm glad you came."

"Me too." She kissed the other woman's cheek and stood. She helped Lorelei off the bed.

Rose walked over. "I don't know how you're not falling apart right now." She said in Sydney's ear as they hugged.

"It's hard." She admitted as Rose sat back.

"Do you want me to take Rory home?"

"The doctor's going to make me rest. I'll be fine. It will give her and Adrian time to hang out."

"As long as you're sure."

She nodded. "If you guys can and want to, we wouldn't mind you staying, too."

"Well, I'm not on duty tomorrow." Rose said.

"And I have my sketchbook with me." Jill said.

"If you don't care."

"Adrian?" Sydney asked.

He shrugged. "We've got plenty of room."

"Can Mommy sleep in my room?" Lorelei asked excitedly.

"I'd love to, baby." Rose smiled at her daughter. Then she turned to Sydney. "As long as you don't care. We don't want to impose."

"It's not imposing. Adrian could use some company. He hardly ever gets out of the house. At least I have to go to an office and interact with people every day." She smiled and squeezed Rose's hand. "I want to talk to you alone."

Rose looked over her shoulder and made a shooing gesture.

"Hey, I could use some gross cafeteria coffee. And I need to call my boyfriend." She grabbed Adrian's hand. "Come with me."

Adrian hoisted Lorelei onto his back and followed his friend out the door with one last long look at his wife.

Once they were alone, Sydney finally broke down. "I hate this."

"Hate what?" Rose asked, slightly uncomfortable.

She sobbed into the tissue the other woman had handed her. "I'm a little relieved. I feel so bad about it, but I am."

Rose watched her for a few heartbeats. "I think I understand." She said softly.

"You hate me, don't you?"

"No. I didn't want to go through what I would have to if I _planned_ for a child. If not for Rory, life would be so much different. I didn't want to put a kid through what I went through."

"I thought I was ready, but I don't know if I am."

"Have you talked with Adrian about this?"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Not at length."

"Are you scared about the training?" The guardian asked gently.

"Do I have to send them to train?"

Rose smiled. "Well, I'm one of the higher guardians. By the time your kids are old enough to start training, I may be in an even more leadership role. I'll keep them out of it, if that's what you want. That's my promise to you. And I'm sure Jill would, too. But it may be in their genes to want to. I suggest not keeping them completely from it, but giving them an option. And I hope that you will give them some early combat training, if nothing else."

Sydney nodded and wiped at her streaming eyes. "I think Adrian is proud of everything Lorelei's becoming."

"Of course he is. And it may be something you two fight about. Just try to get on the same page early so you don't."

"Thank you." She smiled. "You've always been a great friend."

"You too, Sydney." She pulled the other woman in for a hug. "Thank you for all the stuff you do for Rory. She thinks you're someone special."

"She's the someone special."

* * *

"Okay, no getting up unless it's entirely necessary." Adrian said as he pulled the blanket up over Sydney.

"Yes, doctor." She said with a smirk.

"Call if you need anything. Someone will come."

"It's okay that they're here, isn't it?" She asked before he left the room.

"Of course."

She smiled. "I love you, Adrian."

He walked back across the room and kissed her. "I love you, Sydney."

"Are we really agreed?"

"We'll wait until you're ready to try again. And we won't force them one way or the other to train." He seemed a little put-off.

"Don't hate me for this."

He softened. "I don't. But there is a lot of pride in being a guardian."

"Pride in following around royals who could care less about whether they live or die as long as they aren't killed themselves—?"

"Stop. I don't want to have this argument right now. You need to rest. We'll talk about it later."

"I love you, Adrian."

"And I love you, Sydney." He kissed her. "Rest. I'll bring you something to eat soon."

"I just want to sleep for days." Her voice was thick.

His eyes glistened. "Do whatever you need to recover. Just don't waste away."

"I won't."

He kissed her once again and then left the room as she curled up on her side.


End file.
